| Foreword |
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xvii | |
| Introduction |
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1 | (6) |
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1 | (1) |
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Conventions Used in This Book |
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1 | (1) |
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2 | (1) |
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2 | (1) |
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How This Book Is Organized |
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2 | (3) |
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Part I: A Bicycle Race Unlike Any Other |
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3 | (1) |
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Part II: How the Race Is Run and Won |
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3 | (1) |
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Part III: Loving the Ride: A Man and His Bike |
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4 | (1) |
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Part IV: Watching the Race |
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4 | (1) |
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4 | (1) |
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5 | (1) |
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5 | (2) |
| Part I: A Bicycle Race Unlike Any Other |
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7 | (40) |
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Chapter 1: Answering All Your Tour Questions |
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9 | (6) |
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Understanding the Race and the Strategies |
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9 | (1) |
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10 | (1) |
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10 | (1) |
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Understanding Those Colored Jerseys |
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10 | (2) |
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Choosing the Right Stuff: From Bikes to Snacks |
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12 | (1) |
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Spectating During the Tour |
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13 | (2) |
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Watching the Tour from home |
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14 | (1) |
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Searching for Tour information |
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14 | (1) |
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Making the trip to the Tour |
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14 | (1) |
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Chapter 2: Understanding the Tour de France Race Routes |
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15 | (14) |
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What's a Stage, How Many Are There, and How Long Are They? |
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15 | (1) |
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Choosing the Route and Stage Each Year |
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16 | (2) |
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Figuring Out Where to Start |
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18 | (2) |
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Time Trials, Mountains Stages, Prologues, and More |
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20 | (7) |
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Prologues and high speeds |
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22 | (1) |
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22 | (1) |
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Making the grade: Mountain stages |
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23 | (2) |
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25 | (1) |
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26 | (1) |
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Scouting the New Route: Practice Makes Perfect |
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27 | (2) |
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Chapter 3: The Races within the Race |
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29 | (18) |
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Timing: Every Second Counts |
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30 | (1) |
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Getting sprints, points, and bonus seconds |
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30 | (1) |
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Winning stages doesn't equal winning the Tour |
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30 | (1) |
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31 | (2) |
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What's a jersey and why not just wear a T-shirt? |
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31 | (1) |
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How did this jersey thing start anyway? |
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31 | (1) |
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How many jerseys are used during the race? |
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32 | (1) |
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32 | (1) |
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Explaining the Overall General Classification |
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33 | (7) |
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34 | (1) |
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The polka-dot jersey for climbing |
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35 | (2) |
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The green jersey for sprinting |
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37 | (2) |
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Being young has its advantages: The white jersey |
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39 | (1) |
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Standing on the Podium (and Kissing the Podium Girls) |
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40 | (2) |
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Receiving awards and accolades |
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41 | (1) |
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Giving flowers and stuffed lions |
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42 | (1) |
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The Honor of the Lanterne Rouge |
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42 | (1) |
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43 | (1) |
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Working hard to keep last place |
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43 | (1) |
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Riding in the Broom Wagon |
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43 | (6) |
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Abandoning the race - and why |
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44 | (1) |
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44 | (1) |
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Surrendering a race number |
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45 | (2) |
| Part II: Haul the Race Is Run and Won |
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47 | (42) |
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Chapter 4: It's All about the Team |
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49 | (16) |
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What's Team Got to Do with It? |
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50 | (2) |
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Does the guy in yellow win every stage? |
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50 | (1) |
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51 | (1) |
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Selecting a Team - All Shapes, Sizes, and Skills |
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52 | (7) |
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53 | (1) |
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54 | (1) |
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54 | (2) |
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56 | (1) |
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The time trial specialists |
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57 | (2) |
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Recognizing the Team Behind the Team |
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59 | (6) |
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The directeur sportif (team manager) |
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59 | (1) |
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The team mechanics (a.k.a. wrenches) |
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60 | (1) |
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The soigneurs (all-around assistants) |
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61 | (1) |
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62 | (1) |
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The drivers: Skills, stamina, and street smarts |
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62 | (3) |
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Chapter 5: More Tour Rules Than You Ever Want to Know |
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65 | (12) |
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Knowing Some Important Tour de France Regulations |
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65 | (7) |
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Helmets: Mandatory, dude! |
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66 | (1) |
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Oh, no, we're wearing the same outfit |
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66 | (1) |
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67 | (1) |
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Sign on the line, or you don't pass start |
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68 | (1) |
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Feed zone and feeding rules |
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68 | (1) |
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Team cars: Position and passing |
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69 | (1) |
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Staying within the time limit |
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70 | (1) |
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Drug testing at every stage |
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71 | (1) |
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Who's Keeping Score and Why? |
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72 | (5) |
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Photo finishes and split seconds |
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74 | (1) |
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74 | (1) |
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Starting orders and paying fines |
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74 | (3) |
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Chapter 6: Understanding Race Strategies |
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77 | (12) |
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77 | (5) |
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Protecting the race leader |
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79 | (1) |
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Chasing down the competition |
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80 | (1) |
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80 | (2) |
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82 | (1) |
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Miles to Go Before I Sleep |
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82 | (5) |
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Domestiques: Delivering news and other stuff |
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83 | (2) |
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The peloton: Stuck in the middle with you |
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85 | (2) |
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Heeding Nature's Call While Riding |
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87 | (2) |
| Part III: Loving the Ride: A Man and His Bike |
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89 | (44) |
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Chapter 7: Who Are These Guys and How Do They Do It? |
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91 | (10) |
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Two Hundred Cyclists: Maintaining Their Bodies |
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92 | (1) |
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Shaving legs and getting road rash |
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92 | (1) |
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92 | (2) |
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94 | (1) |
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95 | (1) |
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Things That Go Bump in the Day |
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96 | (5) |
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97 | (1) |
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Dealing with mechanical failures |
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98 | (3) |
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Chapter 8: Spending a Day in the Life of a Rider |
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101 | (18) |
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101 | (2) |
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102 | (1) |
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102 | (1) |
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Mini-meetings in the morning |
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103 | (1) |
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103 | (1) |
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103 | (1) |
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104 | (3) |
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104 | (1) |
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105 | (1) |
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105 | (1) |
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106 | (1) |
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106 | (1) |
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107 | (1) |
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107 | (1) |
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It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over |
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108 | (3) |
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Soigneurs waiting at the finish line |
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109 | (1) |
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Getting crushed by the cameras |
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110 | (1) |
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Surviving the crowd: Getting to the bus |
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110 | (1) |
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Replenishing the calories |
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111 | (1) |
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Traveling to the Next Hotel |
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111 | (1) |
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No Fun-Filled Evenings for the Riders |
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111 | (4) |
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Getting a rub: Massage is a must |
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112 | (1) |
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112 | (1) |
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112 | (2) |
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114 | (1) |
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Listening to music or reading a magazine |
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114 | (1) |
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Calling home and cybersurfing |
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114 | (1) |
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Early to bed, early to rise |
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115 | (1) |
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No Rest for the Weary on Rest Day |
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115 | (4) |
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Taking the A train: Traveling |
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116 | (1) |
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Practice makes perfect, even on rest days |
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116 | (1) |
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Press conferences and interviews |
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117 | (2) |
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Chapter 9: Having the Best Equipment in the Bunch |
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119 | (14) |
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119 | (3) |
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Weighing in on those bikes |
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120 | (1) |
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120 | (1) |
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Ordinary or specially made bikes? |
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121 | (1) |
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121 | (1) |
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Wheels Go Round and Round |
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122 | (1) |
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123 | (1) |
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Cogs, cassettes, and cranks |
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123 | (1) |
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123 | (1) |
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124 | (1) |
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A Helmet Is a Helmet - Not! |
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124 | (3) |
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Dude, you gotta wear 'em! |
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125 | (1) |
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Protection versus ventilation |
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125 | (1) |
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Time trial helmets: Aerodynamics is everything |
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126 | (1) |
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Wearing a Kaleidoscope of Kits |
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127 | (8) |
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130 | (1) |
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Wearing time trial skinsuits |
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131 | (2) |
| Part IV: Watching the Race |
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133 | (38) |
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Chapter 10: Perfecting the Art of Spectating from Home |
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135 | (16) |
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135 | (4) |
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Television coverage in the United States: Outdoor Life Network |
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136 | (2) |
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Nearly constant television coverage in Europe (those lucky dogs) |
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138 | (1) |
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139 | (6) |
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139 | (1) |
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140 | (1) |
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Tour blogs: Here today, gone tomorrow |
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141 | (1) |
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Forums and chats: At your own risk |
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142 | (1) |
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143 | (1) |
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Searching for Tour info and photos |
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143 | (2) |
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145 | (6) |
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Classic, unknown, and weird cycling movies |
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145 | (1) |
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146 | (1) |
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Getting maps and marking the route |
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146 | (1) |
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147 | (1) |
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Knowing about the publicity caravan |
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147 | (4) |
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Chapter 11: Going to the Tour: A Brief Guide |
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151 | (20) |
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On Your Own or with a Tour Group |
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151 | (6) |
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152 | (2) |
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154 | (1) |
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Doing the Tour on your own |
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155 | (2) |
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Details, Details, Details |
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157 | (3) |
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157 | (1) |
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158 | (2) |
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160 | (6) |
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Checking out the Village Depart |
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160 | (2) |
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162 | (1) |
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Partying and painting in the mountains |
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163 | (2) |
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Early bird gets the front row |
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165 | (1) |
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Getting photos and autographs |
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165 | (1) |
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Grabbing that bidon (water bottle) |
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166 | (1) |
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The Thrill of Finishing on the Champs Elysees |
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166 | (7) |
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What you don't see on television |
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167 | (1) |
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Where the elite meet and greet |
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167 | (2) |
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169 | (1) |
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Hordes of ecstatic spectators |
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169 | (2) |
| Part V: The Part Of Tens |
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171 | (66) |
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Chapter 12: Ten Greatest Riders in Tour History |
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173 | (10) |
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173 | (1) |
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174 | (1) |
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175 | (1) |
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175 | (1) |
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176 | (1) |
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177 | (1) |
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178 | (1) |
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178 | (1) |
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179 | (1) |
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180 | (3) |
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Chapter 13: The Ten Most Important Tours in History |
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183 | (14) |
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1903: Publishing Wars and Garin Make History |
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183 | (2) |
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1913: Time Changes, Tour Reverses |
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185 | (1) |
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1919: The Yellow Jersey Debuts |
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186 | (1) |
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1938: Le Tour: A Team Sport |
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187 | (1) |
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1969: Eddy Merckx Arrives and Dominates |
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188 | (1) |
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1986: Greg LeMond and Other Americans in Paris |
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189 | (1) |
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1989: LeMond Dramatically Wins Again |
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190 | (1) |
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1999: Armstrong Shocks the World |
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191 | (2) |
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2003: Armstrong and Ullrich Pedal in Fast Company |
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193 | (1) |
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2004: Armstrong Rides Into History |
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194 | (3) |
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Chapter 14: Ten Unique Tour de France Statistics |
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197 | (8) |
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Young, Restless, and Champion |
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197 | (1) |
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198 | (1) |
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Will You Still Need Me When I'm 32? |
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199 | (1) |
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199 | (1) |
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200 | (1) |
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Pedaling Short, But Not So Sweet |
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200 | (1) |
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Humbling Experience: 300 Miles of Torture |
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201 | (1) |
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Speeding Over Hill and Dale |
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201 | (1) |
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Knowing Your Neighbors: An American in Paris |
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202 | (1) |
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Climbing Into the Clouds: The Great Peaks of the Tour |
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202 | (3) |
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Chapter 15: Ten Dramatic Tour de France Moments |
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205 | (8) |
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Assassins Among Us (1910) |
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205 | (1) |
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A Tour First: Death in the Peloton (1935) |
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206 | (1) |
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Poulider Versus Anquetil (1964) |
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206 | (1) |
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Merckx Attacked in the Mountains (1975) |
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207 | (1) |
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Hampsten Conquers L'Alpe d'Huez (1992) |
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208 | (1) |
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LeMond Rides into History (1989) |
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208 | (1) |
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Armstrong Salutes Fallen Fabio (1995) |
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209 | (1) |
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Sitting Down on the Job (1998) |
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209 | (1) |
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Hamilton Shows His Mettle in the Mountains (2003) |
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210 | (1) |
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Riding through Hay Fields (2003) |
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210 | (3) |
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Chapter 16: Ten Great Tour Climbs and Mountaintops |
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213 | (12) |
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213 | (1) |
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214 | (1) |
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215 | (2) |
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217 | (1) |
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217 | (1) |
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217 | (1) |
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218 | (1) |
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218 | (1) |
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219 | (2) |
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221 | (1) |
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222 | (1) |
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222 | (1) |
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223 | (2) |
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Chapter 17: Ten Other Important Races |
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225 | (12) |
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226 | (1) |
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Clasica San Sebastian (San Sebastian Classic) |
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227 | (2) |
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Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) |
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229 | (1) |
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230 | (1) |
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231 | (2) |
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233 | (1) |
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233 | (1) |
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234 | (1) |
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Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain) |
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234 | (1) |
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World Championship (Road Race) |
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234 | (3) |
| Glossary |
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237 | (6) |
| Index |
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243 | |
Other versions by this Author